Payments -- Intuit and ECHO Agree to Acquisition - Again -- Intuit rounds out its payments offerings with purchase of electronic payment processor.

They say the second time is a charm. Mountain View, Calif.-based Intuit and Electronic Clearing House (ECHO) certainly hope the adage is true. On December 19, Intuit and ECHO signed a definitive agreement for Intuit to acquire ECHO. Intuit previously agreed to acquire ECHO in December 2006, but the parties mutually terminated the arrangement in March.

Intuit provides business and financial management solutions for small and midsize businesses, financial institutions, consumers, and accounting professionals. The company's financial institutions division, anchored by Digital Insight, provides on-demand banking services to help banks and credit unions serve businesses and consumers. ECHO, based in Camarillo, Calif., provides electronic payment processing solutions, including check, debit card and...